If We Fall Anew
by Le Chat Noir
Summary: A slightly AU, Elrond/Maglor piece of slash. After all, we really don't know how old Elrond was when the Havens were attacked, and this is Deborah's 'slash, happy ending' birthday present, though the happy ending is questionable...
1. Notes

Disclaimer: I own strictly nothing. Neither the characters, nor the setting, not even the pairing idea. The two formers belong to the Great Master Tolkien, while the latter is Deborah's. 

Author's note: This is for Deborah's birthday. Happy birthday Deborah! Big, big hug to you.  Thank you so much for all you've done for me! Hope you enjoy it my humble little present!

In this story, Elrond would be the equivalent of a human between sixteen and eighteen years old; so he is not a child (well, sure, he is, but what I mean is that he's not eight years old or something.), which means about forty-five to fifty elven years. Elros would be something like four, and Maglor, well, Maglor, going on several thousands, I guess… Maybe that this story can be labelled AU, since Elrond almost very certainly wasn't that old when the Havens burnt? 

The storyline is also loosely (very very loosely) based on 'As Little Might Be Thought' and 'When I am Wise' by Deborah herself, so you might find some occasional similarities. 

Many thanks to Ithilwen for beta-reading! I only rewrote the last one somewhat and didn't find time to send it to her once more… so any fault in the last chapter is entirely my fault. ^_^ 

Well, as for the happy ending… you said yourself that you were quite flexible about it, so I just put it as 'No sad ending', right? 

Translation from Latin (since Quenya was supposed to be Elf-Latin…): 

- _Vae victis_: Woe to the vanquished

- _Omnes nihilque_: All and naught

- _Resurgemusne_: Shall we rise again

Warning: I also need to put a slash warning on the second chapter (I think the first's okay), because the idea was to write a slash story, right? And I'm still wondering what the word 'slash' really means… 

Now, read on, and hope you all enjoy…  


	2. Vae Victis

If We Fall Anew

for Deborah

_1 – Vae victis _

The waves come to break themselves on the cliff with rage, their heads crowned in foam.

He has been looking for us for two months. The very first thing I heard from him was his voice, calling from afar. Every day, he followed us in the forest, and I saw him, always arriving five minutes too late, only to find a certain proof that we had been there, but are no more. I made sure to leave some trail, some traces of our passage, just so that he would find it, and with it hope renewed, and then lost and renewed… Hope of** what, I still know not. He had no chance. I know those woods like I know the back of my hand, for they were the havens of my childhood. I don't know who he is, I don't know his name, I only know that he is one of them, one of the enemies, the Kinslayers, the rebels. And I took revenge on him. Revenge as well as I could, revenge for you, Mother. I know he cried, sometimes, at night, when he thought _us to be lost. I delighted in those sobs. I delighted in his pain. I will take revenge as well as I could. Though I must give him my admiration. He impressed me, with his seemingly pointless quest, his determination to obtain something that perpetually fled out of his grasp. He never lost track, and almost caught us twice. I had barely managed to escape before he saw us. Luckily, the woods were busy in this period of the year, and, when my brother sometimes was careless, he could mistake the sound for the light pace of a rabbit, or the wind rustling the leaves._**

I didn't know why I wouldn't surrender. He called to us, always, he called to the Sons of Elwing. He said he wouldn't harm us, that he wished only to help. I didn't know. Maybe he didn't, either. Maybe I was just testing him, to see what he really wanted. Once, I tore off a piece of my cloak, cut my wrist and smeared it in fresh blood, then left it there. Only, I had forgotten that it was summertime. Wolves were rare. And when he happened upon it, he only took it with him, and continued his search. 

Yesterday, he began to sing. He was singing because he thought we were far away, far, far beyond his reach, perhaps even far across the Ocean in** another land. He did not know that we were less than a hundred meters in front of him, lying**** hidden in the branches of an ancient tree. I listened. My brother, too, was listening, and in the opaque darkness I could guess his still form, dimly hear his breath and see his brilliant eyes, wide open. The music… It was simple and plain, like a childish lullaby, but the voice didn't ring true. Maybe he felt the need to rock himself to sleep, and oblivion. The music… I had never heard anything like it. It was sweeter than Mother's song when I was but a baby in the cradle. **

And yet more poignant than the lament of the waves dying in foam. 

He abandoned the search that night. I had been careful to lead him in circles lately, and he must have noticed it. The next morning, when my brother woke, he was gone, and it was not to our pursuit. I felt strange somehow. Maybe I had grown accustomed to that game, the only game where the mouse had the part of the cat. Maybe I had never thought about what we would do after that… after. Maybe I had just concentrated on him, on watching him, on leaving clues for him, on losing** him. On hating him. Maybe he was just something I took for granted, just like I took for granted the Sack of Sirion, Mother's flight, the slaughter of my people… And then I was standing there, perplexed, on that very spot where he had slept last night, and my brother looked at me with big pleading eyes. Maybe he understood better than I did, my brother. Or maybe he just _felt, because he was not trying to figure out. _**

Now we are sitting on the edge of the cliff. Yesternight he abandoned the search, but I will not let him abandon it now. He is Kinslayer, and my people's assassin. And Mother, Mother fled because of him. I will not flee, Mother. I will not. 

I shall have revenge.

My brother sits near me, at some distance though. He doesn't sleep. He watches the Sea, the ebb and flow, and the waves shatter against the cliff of their own accord. And in a thousand years, this cliff will have become sand, in a thousand years. I look at the sky, a beautiful morning sky. There is not a cloud hindering the sunlight. Not a cloud to tarnish its clear blue. 

So what now does project its shadow upon me, depriving my brother of the warmth of the sunrays?

He stands behind me, one of them, one of my people's slayers, one of these soldiers of the March, one of these cursed fallen Calaquendi who are worth no more than the lowest of Orcs. He stands behind me, and my hand goes for the sword that hangs by my side, slowly, steadily unsheathing, but in no way hiding my gesture, and I hear with a twisted pleasure the sound of metal sliding on metal. However, there is no answer to it. But he is there, I know it, unmoving, I can feel him, his presence, right behind me, he who let Mother in the waves without lending her a hand… 

My brother looks at the Sea still, and his childish face is as expressionless as that of a porcelain doll. 

In the glimpse of an eye I am on him, and our swords clash with a blinding white gleam. I have no idea how his sword had jumped in his hand so fast; I didn't even see it. But at the very first contact between the blades, I know I have no chance. He is a grown adult, with lightning-fast reflexes and probably centuries of swordplay and bloodshed and slaughter behind him. Who am I? Elrond Peredhil, not even an elf, not even a man. I have no chance. My brother has stood up, follows my movements with apprehensive eyes. Don't worry, little brother. I won't let him harm you. Not as long as I live still. For a moment, he even lets me have the upper-hand, surprised by the fury of the attack, but then as my eyes meet his, and he sees my determination, in four well-chosen strokes Aranruth [1] flies from my grasp, and I lose my balance, and am on the ground, with the point of his sword at my throat, slightly drawing blood. 

I sought revenge, Mother. I promise I did. 

But then neither party moves, I am lying there still, resting on my elbows, and he stands over me, with his sword on my throat. We hold eye contact still, and I will not look away, I will not, not concede that even his will does overpower mine. My brother doesn't budge either. He watches, fascinated, horrified, bewitched by the thin thread of blood flowing from my neck. Why won't he move, why won't he seek someplace safer, why is he staying there, on the edge of the cliff, looking at me like that?

"Elros, run." I articulate, clearly, slowly, and lean back a little, so as to move away from the sharp sword-tip. 

He takes three steps backwards, his eyes not leaving me, but then stops. Hurriedly, almost as one who would stutter a bad excuse, the stranger says that he wishes to do us no harm. Right, and that is exactly why you came here one morning with your hosts and lords -or what was left of those- and began slaughtering my people. 

"Elros, run."

He shakes his head. Ah, little brother, you do not understand… Again, the stranger repeats that he wishes us no harm, that he only wants us to be safe. Believe him, believe him not. He hasn't proved himself yet.

"You can kill me, but spare my brother."

He sighs, and lowers his eyes. I have not yet, but the victory feels empty somehow. The blade moves from my throat, and I inhale deeply, pulling myself to a sitting position. With one swift gesture, he throws his sword near to mine, and both weapons are resting on the ground, looking strangely meaningless without their wielders' hands. 

"Fine. Now I have no sword, and neither have you."

But my brother cannot contain himself any longer, and suddenly falls on the stranger's**_ bag. The Noldorin elf lets him, and in a second he is holding a piece of lembas in his hand, wolfing it down, then begs for more with hungry eyes. He is famished, my poor brother. I should have thought about the food, but no. I didn't. And now he is seated on one of the big rocks, casually taking a stack of lembas from his bag, and unwrapping the cloth under my very eyes. The smell is maddening, and I realise I am also starving. He takes three pieces in his hand, and hands them to my brother. Taking one more piece, he looks at me with a face that is neither stern nor pretending to be jovial. _**

"Shall we share?"

He breaks the bread in two, at the exact middle. Even if I could have wished for more, I am grateful somehow for this fairness. I will have no one pity me. He does not try to humour me, to humour that young rebellious idiot who had just tried to kill him, but treats me as an equal, as a guest in his non-existent palace. Despite my hunger, I only nibble at the food, watching his every move with wary eyes. He is finished before I am, and patiently waits for me to eat.

My brother's share has already disappeared, and he is conscientiously licking the last crumbs off his fingers.

Don't worry. One day, I shall have my revenge. 

Now the lembas is gone, and no one moves still, and the only sound to be heard is the waves harshly crashing into the cliff. 

He now stares at us, and seems to examine us from head to foot, his sharp eyes missing not a detail of our figures. I shamefully feel the urge to cringe under his gaze, while my brother stands on his tiptoes to appear taller, tearing a smile from the stranger's lips.

"Now, what would your name be?"

The question doesn't seem to be directed to any of us in particular, but, seeing that I was reluctant to answer, my brother, emboldened by his smile, speaks up.

"I am Elros, and he is my brother, Elrond."

So simple, and plain, and direct. And yet I could not have brought myself to speak those words. Tonelessly, the stranger repeats the names, and begins chewing on a strand of his hair.

"Elrond, Elros."

His hand starts tracing patterns in the grass. 

"And who would you be?"

It is my brother still, who, now feeling full, finds his curiosity back again. After a second's hesitation, he answers.

"Maglor."

One word, and I would rather have that my brother had never asked. I nearly choked. Maglor of the Gap, Fëanarion! If I could, I would have laughed at the situation. And I heed his words, and I ate his bread! Maglor Fëanarion… It could simply not be. And yet I recall, I recall Mother's voice when I was little, and it tells me stories of the olden days… _For Fëanor was the greatest of the Eldar, in might and in beauty, in skill and subtlety alike, she would say,__ and a bright fire burnt within him, the very fire of the One. Each his sons have received a share of their father's spirit, if only a share; Maedhros the eldest is the most handsome and noble; Celegorm knew the language of all living things on Arda; Curufin is the most like his father, and had surpassing skills in the art of the forge; Caranthir's pride and bravery were famous throughout Beleriand; and no one can** outdo Amrod and Amras when it comes**** to hunting; but Maglor the second-born is**** one of the greatest minstrels and singers in Arda, named only after Daeron of Doriath. However, for all their skills and valour, it was them that the Shadow bound first in its lies, and long ago during the Flight they were cursed, by the Valar themselves, for in Fëanor's pride and madness they heed not the Valar's call that they should return to Valinor in penitence and seek pardon. From that time on they have turned to Evil, and, though their intentions might still be good, they act blind and deaf, bound hand and foot**** by their solemn Oath and the very blood that runs in their veins, slaying their own people, causing bloodshed wherever they go, free-falling to the bottom…**_

_The bottom?_

_If there be one._

And, as I stare at his face, it melts in front of my eyes into that of Fëanor, the Spirit of Fire, like I imagined him to be when I was little; wondrously fair, finely chiselled, as perfect as the gems he wrought, and yet dark and threatening like a brewing thunderstorm.

Interrupting my reflections, Maglor speaks once more, and the illusion fades.

"Well, I think that you would rather sleep tonight in whatever shelter and bed I can offer you in our camp, than under the stars, fair as they may be."

_No, I won't._

However, I can but numbly follow, as my brother is already walking at his side with his back to the Sea. 

~

Elros got the bed, of course, if that thin mattress tossed on the ground could be called a bed. Maglor and I are both lying on the ground, seeking whatever heat we found by holding our cloaks tight around our shoulders. His back is turned to me, and I cannot help but think how gladly I would seek the warmth of another body near to mine, if only he had not been who he was. My brother's soft, regular breathing informs me that he is sound asleep, but throughout the night I cannot bring myself to close my eyes, tired as I may be. I watch Maglor's back, and, in the semidarkness, I know that he doesn't sleep either. 

~ 

- 1 In fact, Aranruth is Thingol's sword (_Simarillion, chapter 21, Of Turin Turambar). It is mentioned in __Unfinished tales that it was kept in Numenor before its fall, so I thought Elrond would have had it, as Thingol's rightful heir (except there was little left to inherit by that time), then gave it to Elros. _


	3. Omnis nihilque

If We Fall Anew 

for Deborah

_2 – Omnis nihilque_

It was yesterday he brought us with him to** his camp, on the very ruins of the Sirion Havens, sacked and burnt. Now we are walking down between all the tents, and I cannot help but watch with curiosity as we pass them all, and the soldiers stare at us with impunity, after a slight bow of their head to their Lord. I feel bare with no weight hanging from my waist; Maglor allowed me to take Aranruth, but I am forbidden to bear her in daily life. Elros is walking near him, and looks around with eager eyes; the tired soldiers, somewhat relieved to see a living child again, shout mocking or kind comments at him. But the waking settlement is lively, and the men are preparing for departure; light-footed youths are running about carrying messages, and they already are taking the tents down, or packing whatever little bit of stuff they have. **

Now there is someone else walking down this same road to meet us, in great strides, and all eyes are lowered on his passage. He can't be missed. People are stepping out of his way, and indeed he is the most handsome and noble of the Sons of Fëanor; tall he is, fair of face, with thick, heavy copper hair; but for now he carries himself slightly hunched, as if bearing a great weight. I do not believe I have ever seen such an unreadable expression; there is so much written on his face it cannot be deciphered. As he passes by us, his step slows down, and he acknowledges his brother with a mere look from his dark eyes. However, Maglor steps in front of him, as if by pure chance, and blocks his way, earning a threatening glare. Deflecting his older brother's question, he rests a hand on each our shoulders.

"Elrond and Elros, Peredhil, sons of Eärendil the Fair and Elwing daughter of Dior, Heirs to the High Crown of the Umanyar, princes of Menegroth, Gondolin, and the Havens of Sirion."

I am somewhat surprised by Maglor's touch on my shoulder, and never have I even thought about all those titles that truly do rest on our heads. _Princes of three Kingdoms fallen; two at your own hands, Lord Fëanarion. But the Lord Maedhros has nothing to answer, and only rests his gaze on us for a second, and I feel my heart itself to be uncovered by that gaze. _

However, as he passes us by without saying a word, I could swear, oh I could swear I saw a** tinge of sadness and jealousy in his eyes. [1]**

~ 

Even after a year spent in his House, I still refused to address him as anything other** than a perfect stranger. Now, after two more years of sharing the same roof, it is better, or maybe it is not; I don't know when it began. I want to speak to him, yet I'm afraid to speak to him; I want to look at him, yet I'm afraid to look at him, and still does the bitter fire of revenge consume my heart. **

Maglor is kind to us. He is so very much reserved and discreet that it always seems as if he is calm and controlled, on the brink of coldness; and yet I know, I know that inside he is broken to pieces. Sometimes he even smiles when little Elros tries to cheer him up, and yet even his smile is sad. I think I am grateful for that. I don't know, I don't really know if I could have borne to hear him laugh, laugh as one who in his heart bears no burden heavy as the blood of another. 

The Lord Maedhros is very unlike him; he is ever silent, and can be compared to a block of ice; never speaks, never smiles, only watches from afar. I know the two are very close; I know that Maglor is his brother's right hand, in the first as well as the second meaning of the term.

The Lord of the Gap is now our official tutor, and yet each day spent next to him is a torture to me. He teaches us lore, he teaches us song, swordplay, archery, and Elros he teaches to read and write; in return it seems that the young boy teaches him to smile again. Indeed, my brother much prefers to play outdoors and learn to fight than stay seated at a desk reciting his lessons, and at music he could never do much more than a common mortal. Maybe he is, after all, a mortal. Maybe we both are. 

Two years ago, when I still was brooding dark thoughts alone in my corner, and staring at them in silence, I watched Elros compose his very first song, and Maglor from pleasure laughed, and kissed his forehead, passing a hand through his hair. 

Then I suddenly wished it were I who was there, with his hand in my hair. 

I don't know. At first I didn't mind. I watched him, and he never tried to win me over, so I stayed in my corner, watching. Then he allowed me to make free use of his immense library; and I spent days and days immersed in the books, not even stopping to eat. Some were in Maglor's handwriting, some in Maedhros's, and the former I devoured with an eagerness that sometimes scared even myself. I do not know what I hoped to find. Others had margins which were loaded with hastily scribbled notes and comments. Sometimes, he would come in, always silent, and take a book or two away, or put them back in place. If he did that, once I was sure that he was out of hearing, I would immediately pick those same books up and flip through them. Usually they were of no interest to me: story books or children's rhymes, probably for Elros, but occasionally I did happen upon some useful information. Once, I even found one of those to be a manual for gardening. 

One day I found a thick book, covered in dark leather and dust, and as I opened it the first thing that struck my eyes was the handwriting. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and yet I felt like I knew it, and had ever known it. I flipped through the pages. The same handwriting: bold, fiery and proud, incredibly elegant and beautiful and precise. There was not a single crossing out in the whole book, and, as I began reading, I thought that the writing was perfect, flawless, but strangely unsettling. The tongue was the Ancient Quenya, the language of Valinor, and the letters those that are called Fëanorian. At first I didn't understand, but then, as I read on, I did. It was that same story that Mother told me, once, long long ago, the story of the olden days before the Sun or Moon had been made. And when I brushed the thick layer of dust off the cover, this faded, silver inscription appeared on it:

_Ainulindalë_

_ar_

_Quenta Silmarillion_

That book I read many times over. Every single word drew me in, fascinating, irresistible, and I fell into the mist of a** hazy voyage, till suddenly the tale ended in an incomprehensible way. It just stopped. The writer apparently never bothered to finish it. And the pages left after that last sentence were blank, so hopelessly blank. It was always then, after staring at the unstained white sheets for ten good minutes, that I would begin the book over again. I tried to learn passages by heart. But still I was puzzled by the end of the book, even though I knew it since I was a child; the Flight of the Noldor that ended in bloodshed and treason. And that handwriting, that handwriting that drew me to it and fascinated me like a flame a moth. I could not believe the story ended just there; or maybe it did.**

And so one day I decided to ask Maglor about it. I waited till night, after he had put Elros off to bed -which seldom proved to be an easy task-, and he was sitting** at his desk, with his face buried in one of his large, skinny hands. **

"What book is this?"

He took it, gently, with an eyebrow raised in slight surprise, and began slowly flipping through it with an almost reverent hand.

"It was my Father's book." [2]

His fingers rested on the pages, following the lines with a loving caress, and gradually they flipped no more, as the words caught his eyes against his will, and he was reading before he knew it himself.

But the answer hadn't satisfied me.

"Why isn't it finished?"

Obvious answer: the man's dead.

True meaning of question: Why didn't *you* finish it?

Fortunately, Maglor isn't dumb. Far from it. 

"I never had the heart to tarnish his work."

With a sigh of regret, he snapped the book shut, and handed it back to me; and his eyes were vague. I stood there for a moment, unmoving, till he cast a questioning look at me. Finally, I blurted my question out.

"Will you tell me the end of the story?"

Again, his brow was raised in surprise.

"Do you know it not?"

I swallowed.

"It is your story I wish to hear. The story of the Sons of Fëanor, told by a Son of Fëanor."

His gaze was stern, and weary somehow, as I have not seen it before.

"Are you sure you wish to hear it, Son of Eärendil?"

For an answer I sat myself at his feet, and his eyelids half-fell over his pupils, long lashes casting a shadow over them. We stayed up the whole night, and he told me their tale. He never missed a detail, ever calm, expression unchanging, he reminisced as if for himself alone the horror and glory of that night when the Oath was sworn, and word for word he repeated that Oath without a quiver in his voice; at his side I watched powerless as he threw himself into the slaughter of the first Kinslaying; at his side I saw the fire leap up at Losgar, hungrily devouring the beautifully crafted ships, and in my heart I saw the same fire burning on another shore; at his side I fought in the Dagor-nuin-Giliath, and carried a dying Fëanor out of the midst of battle; at his side I wept for his brother, whom he thought lost; at his side I found that brother returned and ever-changed; at his side I held the Gap near the fortress of Himring, and lived in hopeless faith through the years of the Siege; and when morning came the Sun found us deep in the horror of the Bragollach, with me at his feet. 

Then, suddenly he was trailing off, confusing memories and thoughts, and grimacing he abruptly stood and left the room, cursing under his breath. Nearly slamming the door behind him, he caught himself only just in time, and I realised how much it had cost him to tell me this tale, and keep composure. 

Nevertheless, the next evening he was sitting there again, waiting for me, and so for long weeks did we spend our nights thus. 

The story of his life unfolded before me as a path unwinding, always stretching out, a path clouded by a fog opaque, a path with tall barriers on each side. It was a path where sometimes there were crossroads, but it seemed to me that whichever way was chosen, there was but one final destination at the close; as if all roads led to the end. From that time on, if his days belonged to the little hyperactive Elros, and were spent in running about, mostly chasing after him, fighting with him and pretending to be vanquished, and then forcing him into a seat for his lessons, his nights were mine, as we sat in his study for the long hours of darkness, and discussed scholarly matters, historical events, some in which he took part himself, and he told me of the peace and splendour of Valinor, of the daily beauty and joy that in the end failed to restrain the valiant and impetuous Noldor. Of his Father he did not tell, and nor of his mother, but often in his tales came up merry anecdotes of his six brothers and himself, and when he recalled those times he smiled, and once I heard him laugh. 

Sometimes, unwittingly, he lapsed into Quenya, and went on telling his stories all the same; and I did not dare interrupt his words. He spoke of golden times when Melkor's lies were unknown yet to the hearts of the Elves. He spoke of the Trees, again and again, because I could not hear enough of the Light that does not die. He spoke of fountains, light, stars, alabaster cities and godly beings, flowing rivers and stretching meadows, hunting in forests and singing with the birds; of towers and pearls and shores and white-sand. He told me of his own youth, spent thoroughly in the making of songs, which he says he remembers no more; and in raising his two youngest brothers, caught in between his mother's tears and his father's budding madness. He said he couldn't have done it without help, he said that the twins were two little living bullets, shooting all around the House, and that as they grew up it** became worse, just like my brother, who sleeps upstairs. **

I think I saw what he was doing then, trying to give us the childhood he scarcely had. Maybe. If it is so, then he is failing miserably, at least for me. I want nothing of it, not now, oh no. Childhood is not what I want. 

Some nights the Lord Maedhros would join us, and sit himself at the other end of the table, silent as always, listening, adding one word or two to our dialogues, and eventually joining in. It was in that time that I began deeming the hours after dusk, which before had always seemed long and lonely to me, too short for my liking; though I always felt somewhat guilty when I saw Maglor's weary face, and eventually sent him to bed, protesting that I was tired myself. Then I would lie awake beside my brother till dawn came, or sit on the windowsill, watching the stars, thinking of him.

Yes, I thought of him. At the beginning it didn't worry me. I thought of the matters we had discussed that night, I thought of his rare and painful smiles, I thought of that first day when I sought to slay him and I thought of the revenge I had sworn against him when we wandered in the forest. I thought of that endless pursuit in the woods, the game of cat and mouse, the victim leading the assassin, and I remembered the song he sung when he thought us lost. I thought of him, who had seen a Light I will never know, and heard the Music I will never hear, trod on a ground I will never walk, and I thought of his eyes, dark unlike the grey ones of most Noldor, in which a little ray of this Light is reflected, of his music, reminiscent of another music, one of long, too long ago. 

Today, I think of him still. Today, I know that there is no forever, and now during three years I've hated him too much to hate him anymore. Three years. Three years have passed since that day the red waves came crashing into the cliff near the harried Sirion Havens, and now** we are sitting, all three of us, me, my brother and him, around the dim fire. Elros has climbed into his lap, despite the fact that he has grown quickly, and during daytime now gives even more trouble than before. He knows the land by heart. Luckily, I know it too, and Maglor even better, so my brother cannot hide for long before being discovered. But in the evening he delights still in hearing ancient tales and stories, cuddled close to the only one who has ever been a true father for him. I cannot restrain a sigh, which they can interpret as they want, but in the depth of my heart I myself am afraid of its true meaning. With a piercing gaze, Maglor searches my face, and I feel myself turn red under his eyes, while he speaks of legends and heroes to Elros in a soft voice. These are eyes to be found rarely on the surface of Arda, eyes that can expose one's soul naked under the sunlight for all to see, eyes that he shares with the Lord Maedhros, the eyes of a Fëanarion. But in Maglor's gaze there is softness the other does not possess, and he does not force the way to my mind, however I know he can. I don't know, I don't know if I am grateful for this or not. Maybe it would just be easier. **

His red-headed brother left our company some minutes ago, without a word. He sometimes walks away, in the darkness of the night or the pale light of day, and I doubt he himself knows the true aim of his wanderings. He returns, hours, days later, on foot or on horse, then departs again, and never says aught. 

Maglor's gaze has turned to the flaring fire, and the flames send eerie shadows dancing on his face. As soon as I feel his eyes on me no more, I am watching him again, almost devouring his image. He for whom I had developed so much hatred, he** who watched unmoved and unmoving as Mother had thrown herself out of the high window, he whom I caught but a glimpse of in battle, near his tall brother, and then I had seen only the blood dripping from his sword. He**** who had persevered in hopelessly seeking us for two months, he**** whom I had watched with growing curiosity, an almost morbid fascination, as I led him deeper and deeper into woods he knew not, and lost him again and again… **

I know I have no chance to best him in any way, and I know now that having lived so long under his roof, were I** able to physically slay him, I could not. How often have I pictured myself thrusting a sharp dagger into his heart, and drawing crimson, flowing blood! How often have I seen his eyes staring in mine at the last moment, filled with pain and terror! My mind finds the idea repulsive, and yet delights in it, delights in having him kneeling in front of me, and his last breath being mine. And my revenge, my revenge is lost, and I'm sorry Mother, your son will bring shame to your name. Maybe, maybe the world will not know, maybe I will be able to keep it all in my heart until it bursts to pieces and then no one will find out, but then as long as I live it will be in my soul so**** that my own name will be painful to hear, and, each time someone will call out to me, I know I will cringe from that name that is mine and cringe from answering to it, to it that will ever be an accusation of that which I cannot bear to believe. **

I am consumed, consumed by a fire that is hatred no more, and that I fear to name.

Hatred no more? Maybe still, maybe still a little, and maybe still that one day when I wake up I'll find the fragments of my heart lying scattered on the ground, too. 

I feel the fire burn in me, and that is not the dying fire in the fireplace, not the blinding fire of the Sun, not a kind of fire I know. Part of it is the fire that I have guessed through his words when he spoke of the ancient times and the Jewels he killed and destroyed for, part of it is the fire I have seen that hungrily leapt at and burnt down the house of my childhood, part of it is the fire I felt when I first saw his shadow standing over me that day at the seaside, just before I made my move to unsheathe my sword. 

I force my gaze away from him, and abruptly stand up, as I can bear this burning no more. I walk to the window at the far end of the room, and open it in full, resting my elbows on the windowsill. Mayhap that the cold light of Varda's stars will cool my soul, and the fresh night breeze calm the flames of my heart, at least for a moment. Behind me I hear Elros' protests as Maglor leads him out of the room, as every evening, and follows him out to make sure he sleeps, and to tuck him into bed. 

The door closes softly behind them, and I gasp, drawing a profound breath, as I know I am alone in the room at last. In some minutes Maglor will be waiting for me in his study, but perhaps tonight I will not go. Perhaps it is prudent no more to meet him like this; perhaps I prefer to suffer alone, and burn out alone. Perhaps he will be waiting vainly tonight, and the nights after; perhaps I will just go to bed by myself, trying not to think of him, trying to close my eyes and not dream of him, and contain my fire within myself. 

But the door is opened again, gently, and I can hear his light footsteps on the floor, walking towards me. He rests his hand on my shoulder, comforting, and I shiver under that touch, that touch I so seldom feel and have so often yearned for. There is not a word spoken, but suddenly I find myself spinning around, both my arms surrounding him, his chest against mine, my face in the curve of his neck, and I am crying, crying like I have never cried, crying like I had never even known I could cry. Soon his robes are moist with my tears. I can feel his surprise at first, and the tension in his body, but then he slowly relaxes, and his hand begins stroking my back, soothingly, but my violent sobs only strengthen, and my arms wrap** around him all the tighter. I lean back on the wall behind me, and he is pulled forwards, off balance, half-leaning on me. **

I don't know how long I have been standing like this, crying on his shoulder, shivering under his touch, but the fire is dying, and the light growing dimmer and dimmer by the second. He is singing, singing a simple little wordless song, meant to calm, but on hearing his voice the fire in me rises again. How easy would it be now, if I could only draw my dagger, to dig it into his back? How easy would it be now to gain my revenge, now that he is wary no more, that his eternal defences are down? My hand travels down his back, finding the perfect, deadly spot where the weapon has to strike, but at the same time I cannot restrain my leg from moving against his, as I deposit a burning kiss on his neck. How easy would it be to have him now? Too late does he start away from me, but my eye catches his, both at last unmasked, and I see directly into his soul.

_Now I have seen you, Fëanarion, without your shield and armour, now I know you, I know that you are broken and shattered, I know that tonight you are the Son of Fëanor no more, but only Maglor, only the one who could not bear to have two children he didn't even know die of hunger in the woods, only the one whom I heard singing his despair that night under the stars… ****_

He has looked into my eyes, and I don't know what he has seen in them, nor do I care. My fingers intertwine with his dark locks. Avidly I have claimed his lips, feeling the heat rise in me, and for a moment he does not pull away, but does not respond either. 

_And this will be my revenge, Maglor Fëanarion, this will be my revenge to have you broken in my arms, to have you become mine, here, now, knowing that you are after all no more than an elf, a normal elf, despite all your titles of Prince without a crown and Lord without a land, all the blood on your hands that I can see scarlet flowing drop by drop from your fingertips staining the marble floor…_

And my hand has already begun fiddling with his tunic when he finally jerks away, in the same motion nearly slamming me against the wall. A gush of cold air from the open window catches me in the face, at once clearing my head. What had I done? Do I feel regret? Shame? No. Just disbelief, and a strange, new kind of pleasure. For a moment we stand there, gasping at each other, and I see his chest heaving under his shirt at an alarming speed. I am sure the thumping of my heart against my ribcage is loud enough to wake my brother, sleeping upstairs. His eyes are wide, filled with something maybe akin to panic, and indeed there is no more shield to hide his soul, and what I see there might have pleased me, some moments ago, but now I find that it is not what I want, not what I want… 

He applies a pale hand to his forehead, and inhales deeply; however, it does not prevent his voice from wavering, shaken as he is. 

"Son of Eärendil, you are yet too young…" 

But I do not hear the rest, as suddenly I find myself drained of all strength, and I am leaning against the wall, slowly sinking to the ground as my legs support my weight no more. I am barely conscious of trembling like a leaf in the wind, of the silent tears rolling down my cheeks one by one, of drawing my knees up to my chin, feeling like I will never live again. I have no clear idea what happens then, but one moment I dimly feel him sitting down beside me, a slender yet strong arm sliding around my shoulders, and the next I am sitting in his lap, still shaking, and I feel his breath on my neck, and gentle fingertips brushing my tears away… 

"Have you ever seen a Silmaril, Elrond?" his voice murmurs in my ear.

"No." It is true. She was wise, Elwing. She knew the passion the Jewels kindled in every heart, pure or foul, and maybe she did feel that desire tug at her own heart too, to forbid her two little sons to come near it, locking the Gem away in an ebony cassette. "What are they like?"

He begins playing with a strand of my hair. His breathe on my neck… 

"I don't know if I can put it in words."

I look at his face, seeking his gaze, but his eyes are lowered and avoiding mine.

"Then sing it."

So he sings. He sings, but his voice does not ring true. He sings, a song of old, or maybe he is making it up as the notes leave his lips, hanging in the air for a second, then fading away to leave room for the next one. He sings, and entrancing melody, a perfect song for perfection, a song of pure light, but his voice is marred by profound grief and pain, as the singer himself is not convinced by what he tells of. And when the song ends, I can but shake my head.

"I do not understand."

The silence falls. He pulls me up against his chest, lips seeking mine in the semi-obscurity.

"Neither do I. Not anymore."

The fire crackles one last time, and then dies out, leaving the room in darkness.  

~ 

1- Well, now, everyone's probably wondering, what, what the Hell, Maedhros is jealous of the Peredhil, how did *that* ever happen? That's a no, no, people: it's his brother he's jealous of… 

2- I know, Fëanor certainly didn't write the first chapters of the _Quenta Silmarillion,  but then the guy who did must have had some material to begin with, right? _


	4. Resurgemusne

If We Fall Anew

for Deborah

_3 – Resurgemusne_

You stand still, contemplating Aranruth resting in your hands. The wind roughly ruffles your hair, which you have not bothered to braid. 

"Are you sure you want to do that, brother?"

"Absolutely** certain."**

"So you have chosen. There is nothing I can do to bend your will, is there?"

"I'm sorry, little brother. As little as I can do to bend yours."

"Even if we had sworn to always stay together, one day long, long ago?" 

"Even if."

You turn your eyes away from mine. I know it is unfair, little one. I know life is unfair. 

"Why?"

You voice is a whisper, barely audible in the wind. What can I say?

"For everything it means. Brother, I am not a warrior like you are, I am not a fighter, I am but a humble scholar who has nothing but his books to live upon. I am but a scholar who wants not to burn nor rage, but to sit in a library and devour not lives and glory, but knowledge and dreams. I am but a scholar who desires not to live, but to remain." 

You stay silent for a moment, your eyes vague on the gleaming Ocean.

"And all because of him? Is that what you want to do, ever mourning the mourner, weeping for what is gone, knowing, just always knowing?"

But I at first cannot realise what you are speaking of. Or rather, I know, but I cannot accept the fact that you, too, would know. Seeing my consternation, you smile.

"Well, if you ever see him again, bid him farewell for me. Tell him that I, too, would have loved to have met** him once more. Tell him that even if the Father-Star shines down on us every morning till the last, making**** us shed unwanted tears, it is**** his memory that**** will forever be in my heart as that of a true father, making me smile each time I think of him."**

A pause.

"You…" Yes, you. You saw, you knew, you did? And yet you were silent, my brother. You were laughing all day and running about, screaming and billowing in joy, and your greatest pleasure was when Maglor let you blow the deep horn, hearing it ring on the surrounding wall of mountains, and yet you kept silent, you too knew how to watch and guard it all inside yourself; you, eight years old, waking up alone in a cold bed and an empty room, maybe wondering in your little head where your big brother had gone… ****

"I was young, but I wasn't blind, brother." You raise a devastating eyebrow. Again, what can I say, my brother? You have silenced me. I have always been so proud of my ability to talk; to write and to talk. 

"A sad smile. You tell him."

With an artistic gesture, you sheathe the beautifully crafted sword to its scabbard, hanging off your belt. I feel uneasy somehow, once again missing the familiar weight on my own waist. 

But I have decided.

"I will."

And you laugh at last, a youthful, golden laugh, and then turn from me, walking towards the Seashore; leaving me alone, but for the Morning star that shines dimly in the sunlight.

~


End file.
